Anderson Garden Road Trip
 
     Our October 13th Rotary Meeting will be held at Anderson Japanese Gardens at 318 Spring Creek Rd.
     A group of us will be meeting for lunch at 11:00 AM at Fresco's, which is the restaurant at The Gardens.  If you would like to join the group for lunch, please call 815-316-2256 and make a reservation.  Mention that you will be with the Rockford Rotary.  We will be seated as a group, and we will order off of the menu. 
     Our Rotary meeting will begin at 12 noon, and we will be meeting in the conference room in the lower level at the visitor's center.
     Catherine Marsh will be our speaker and her topic will be "Patterns and Rhythms in Nature That Inspire Gardens and Architecture".  Catherine started her horticulture career as a greenhouse manager for Village Green on N Main in the late 90s, but then married, had children, and stayed home with her 3 girls for a decade.
     During that time, she volunteered throughout Rockford: as a Master Gardener, on the City of Gardens committee, and with our neighborhood group.
     When my youngest went to Kindergarten, I went back to school and graduated from Kishwaukee Community College in 2014 with a Greenhouse Management Degree, Construction and Design Degree and a certificate in Sustainability.
     My position with Anderson Japanese Gardens started in 2012 as part of an internship program through Kish. I currently work as a horticulturist and development assistant for AJG, specializing in horticulture therapy and social media content. In December 2017, I won a Confluence Award for my collaboration work with Rosecrance, a drug addiction facility for youth. I’ve presented at a National NAJGA conference, sharing my passion for connecting youth to nature.
     In 2018, I became an Associate Adjunct Professor at Kishwaukee Community College teaching Identification classes, Design classes and Sustainability. I truly love being involved with today’s youth. Their enthusiasm and passion is contagious.
     After the presentation, Rotary members will be encouraged to walk through the garden as guests of Anderson Gardens to enjoy the beauty of the gardens.  If you have any questions, contact JoAn Todd - jrubytodd@gmail.com or 815-218-5042.